


Misstep

by vaderina



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Blood, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Percival whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 12:53:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14136438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaderina/pseuds/vaderina
Summary: Sometimes when Newt wasn't able to, Percival would take over the care of the case for an evening. Perhaps he'd been cocky to think he could manage it no problem but a literal misstep was not what he thought would be the thing to go wrong.





	Misstep

It should have been easy. Newt was taking a nap, snoring lightly on the couch and Percival had pulled a throw over him with a fond smile. It wasn’t often he crashed out in such a spectacular manner but when it happened it was for good reason. So Percival took over while Newt slept. He made his way down into the case and prepared evening meals, poultices, and medicines. The creatures knew him well enough now to allow him close, to feed them, and care for them. Perhaps Percival had been cocky to assume he could do it easily. It was something he’d done before and Newt’s amazed smile had always made it worthwhile, the time he’d had to chase the moulting fwooper through five habitats before he would administer its medication had been exceptionally memorable. So Percival thought he was excused from being called overconfident as he did the evening round in the case.

Most of the creatures were great, they crowded around him when he got to their enclosures with meals. The erumpent even flopped over onto her side so he could check on her rash and apply the ointment Newt had concocted. Percival was perhaps a little over half way through the rounds when he entered the tebo’s habitat. The creature was nowhere in sight but the giant dung beetles scuttled over the plains. Carefully Percival picked his way through the grassland and called softly for the creature. It was a relatively new addition to the case so still a little wary of them but in no way dangerous. Much like Dougal it liked to turn invisible at times.

Something caught on Percival’s foot and he stumbled as the tebo shrieked and shimmered into view. It had probably been dozing in a shady patch and Percival hadn’t seen it. He hadn’t meant to stand on its foot but the damage was already done. Woken suddenly and in pain the tebo lashed out, its tusk gouged into the soft flesh of Percival’s stomach. There was no time to cry out as the creature tore its tusk free and bolted. His knees hit the ground. Percival didn’t have the mind to put a hand out to catch his fall though he managed to twist a little. A rock scraped against his cheek but the pain barely registered. Where the tebo’s tusk had torn through him burnt fiercely and his mind tried to remember what he should do. Vague thoughts of healing spells danced at the edge of his mind but his muttered words didn’t do much. Another memory from the War told him he should put pressure on the wound. With great effort Percival lay on his back and heaved in gasps of air to get him through the screaming pain. His hand felt leaden as he pulled it closer to his body, unable to lift it from the ground. Finally he managed to get a soil crusted hand over the wound and he tried to press down. It hurt. The agony was enough to make his mind white out with a shriek. He knew the pressure wasn’t enough, his healing spells only tingled the edges of the wound but didn’t pull rendered flesh closed or even staunch the bleeding. Sluggishly he remembered his wand. He had to call for help. It was something ingrained in all aurors from the start, if they encountered anything they couldn’t deal with then help had to be called.

Fingers slippery with blood reached for his wand. It took him a few attempts to grip it and pull it from its holster. The pool of blood around him felt warm in contrast with the small shivers that passed through his body. He knew he needed to put pressure on his wound so he focussed on pulling his other hand over it. When blood oozed between his fingers Percival’s mind went back to the wand in his other hand. He thought of his happiest memories and cast the spell. The tip of his wand fizzled and spat out a sparkle of silver but there was no forthcoming burst of brilliant silver light. Percival tried again to no avail. He was so tired, he closed his eyes to try but the wand only spat out a small glitter shower onto the ground. Percival thought he just needed a minute to close his eye, gather his strength and then he could try again. His wand slipped from limp fingers.

Footsteps rushed towards him and Percival’s eyes fluttered open. His wand had rolled onto the ground and he watched it with mild curiosity. It was so cold, the ground was sticky and hard under him. There was a voice near him, it was calling his name. Blissfully warm hands stroked down his cheek and Percival turned to see Newt kneeling over him. The hand turned burning hot and shot agony through his side where his wound was. Absently Percival noted that Newt’s fingers had clasped his cold ones and were helping him push down on his wound. Somewhere above him Newt was still talking. The noise was a babble that Percival caught snatches of. Some of it was his name, sometimes it sounded like Newt was reassuring him.

There were dark circles under Newt’s eyes Percival’s wandering mind noted. He looked tired, exhausted even and Percival tried to remember why that could have been. His side tingled under his own cold palm, his and Newt’s fingers were sticky with blood. The tingling spread warmth through him which became pins and needles. His eyes followed the green lattice mesh which sunk through their linked hands. It burned worse than any antiseptic he’d ever had dabbed over a scraped knee as a child. Percival whined at the pain and Newt’s voice took on a pleading tone. There was a wand in his free hand, fingernails dirty with blood. Another green lattice unfurled from the wand and Percival tried to make it stop, he clumsily batted at the wand but Newt’s other hand caught him. The pressure let up from his abdomen as soon as Newt’s hand was raised and Percival sucked in a sudden breath. Too soon the pressure returned and he kicked out to dislodge the pain. Nothing worked as Newt knelt over him, a knee on either side of his thighs and pinned him to the ground.

“Almost done.” Those were the first words Percival heard through the freezing for that clouded his mind. The green spell had stopped and Newt had his wand pointed away from them. “Just a little longer darling. You’ll be fine.”

“Not a creature.” Percival gritted out as Newt talked to him like he would an injured creature. It rankled Percival and he tried to buck Newt off. The movement sent a fresh wave of hot cold agony through his side while Newt remained where he was.

“I know. I know it hurts and I’m sorry. But I need to do this. Let me put this poultice on and then you can sleep.” Newt carried on, unheeding the way Percival tried to resist more pain. There was a jar of something on the ground by Newt’s knee and Percival wondered when it had got there. With sure hands Newt pulled the cork from the bottle and poured a little of the iridescent purple gloop over the wound. It smelt like lavender growing from a rotting carcass. Cloyingly sweet and it made Percival want to heave. Another drop over his side and Newt’s hand pushed down on the middle of his chest to keep him still.

“Two more drops. You’re doing so well. Stay still a little longer.” The bottle tipped again and Percival gagged at the smell. Above him Newt tried to soothe him as he waited until the last drop could be administered. As soon as it landed on Percival’s wound Newt swung his leg off Percival and helped him curl up on his side. A hand stroked his back, rand through blood clogged hair. Much to his surprise Percival could take a deep breath without the scream of pain running through his entire body.

“How you feeling?” Newt’s voice was soft, hands never stopped their gentle caress. Percival unfurled a little and looked up at Newt.

“Better. Thank you.” His voice was croaky but Newt smiled wide at him nonetheless.

“Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable and cleaned up. Then you can tell me what happened after a nap.” Newt reached for his wand again and a spell levitated Percival. He wanted to protest but his limbs were heavy, eyes were slipping shut despite his determination to stay awake. The last thing he saw was Newt’s soft, worried smile and he felt himself be lowered onto a soft bed, the tingle of a cleaning spell washed over him. Perhaps there was the ghostly brush of a hand over his bare shoulder before a blanket was pulled over him but Percival thought he could have dreamt that.

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat on tumblr - @ladyoftheshrimp


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